Guardian Flames
by HiroJiyuNaka
Summary: Born to a village that despises her, Naruka loves everyone in it, anyway. When Naruka is fooled by Mizuki into stealing the Forbidden Scroll, she surprises him by making a pact with a power nobody has wielded for centuries. His revealing of her nine-tailed burden leads her to try and make contact with the Kyuubi, with further unexpected results. ... Man, Mizuki really fucked up.
1. Chapter 1

**This was originally going to be titled** _ **Kyuubi's Claw**_ **, and was the winner of the poll for the next new story to be posted. This was supposed to be a fairly simple idea. Then I had a random inspiration during a certain part where I deviate from canon, and it just... It kind of ran away from me a little. But I think I like it. In fact, yes. I really do like it.**

 **Ash feels a little iffy about this decision, but I think it'll turn out well. Especially with where I now plan to go with it.**

 **Oh yeah, and if you follow me and haven't heard already, or if this is the first thing I've written that you've read, Ash is my Beta and personal Secretary. She fields the HR and PR and shit since I'm bad at it. So whenever possible, she's the one who responds to reviews and PMs sent to me. TRUST ME I LOVE YOU GUYS, and she sends your love and comments through to me and I still read most of it on my own, anyway, so it's not like there's no reason to review, now. Actually, she's a lot more likely to respond to the idle insight or comment than I am, so there's actually MORE incentive to review, now! Winky face~**

 **Anyway, the synopsis for this story, while not including one major plot device I came up with on the spot, has been on my profile for months, at least. It'll be taken down shortly after this goes up, and the poll on my profile will likely be changed sometime after that. Maybe another 'next new story' poll, maybe something else.**

 **Enjoy~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I advocate mutilating live animals for weaponry. ... Unless said live animal is a 20-story nine-tailed demigod fox who killed your parents. Then it's free game.**

 **(~HJN~)**

Uzumaki Kushina fell to the ground as the giant claw embedded in her stomach disappeared, the great Kyuubi being sealed into her baby. Her child was sleeping soundly on the cushion, the full power of the Kyuubi safely sealed away on the infant's stomach. Kushina had managed to convince Minato to refrain from using the **Shiki Fuujin**. If their child was meant to be hated or feared for holding even part of the Kyuubi, then at the very least Minato would be able to stick around by sealing the whole of the Kyuubi's chakra into the infant. Somehow, they had managed it. All that chakra.. held so completely- it was an amazing accomplishment by both Minato and their child.

But it was all for naught, in the end. They both suffered the very mortal wounds of a claw thrust through their stomachs, and now they laid there, Minato already having succumbed to the Shinigami with Kushina not far behind. She was only trying to hold on long enough for help to arrive to make certain her baby ended up in safe hands.

Alas, even this was not meant to be. With the very last of her strength, she wrote her child's name on the ground with her own blood. "Goodbye, Naruka. Love, and be loved," she uttered the final prayer with her last breaths; her last bit of advice from mother to daughter falling on an impressionable subconscious.

It was actually a few minutes before anyone arrived; a dangerous amount of time considering the circumstances. The Sandaime Hokage landed lightly next to the bloody writing, and looked down at his former student and his wife. The expression on his face was that of a broken man. Defeated and on the verge of giving up, Sarutobi Hiruzen took one look at the baby girl beginning to stir and let a small smile crinkle his eyes.

Glancing down at the name drawn into the ground, he gently scooped her up, the seal on her belly fading into her skin as she awoke. "Hello Naruka. I have something very sad to tell you. But first, I'm certain you're about to be starving. Let's get you somewhere safe, eh?"

The baby, maturing quickly under the adaptation her developing chakra coils were undergoing to hold the Kyuubi's chakra, managed to open her bright sapphire eyes fresh out of the womb. Said eyes flitted in every direction, unable to understand anything, yet still desperately taking in everything they could.

Hiruzen ordered several ANBU to take the parents' bodies back to the village. Ushering another over, he spoke quickly, "Get to the Namikaze residence and clear it out. Leave nothing for whoever Minato was fighting to find."

The operative hesitated. "Sir, the home was destroyed. If the enemy was-"

Sarutobi cut him off. "Take whatever is left and bring it to his - _my_ office. Pictures, weapons, documents, scrolls, seals, everything that could ever be salvaged I want back at the tower by the time I get there! Go!" he snapped. The ANBU left without another word and the aged Hokage looked down at the bundle in his arms. "Come along, Naruka. We have… a lot to do…"

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

The Hokage took a draw from his pipe and looked out at the peaceful village from his office. The sky was clear, the birds were chirping, and he was not buying any of it.

Hiruzen knew better than to trust a calm atmosphere in this village on any day, let alone this particular week. For you see, tomorrow was graduation day in the Academy, where all the lower years would be getting assessed on their taijutsu, history, stealth, and various other skills and knowledges, depending on their year. The last year, though, the eldest and the ones furthest in their training, would be tested on their ninjutsu, the most advanced and difficult part of the basic Academy ninja training.

The Sandaime allowed himself to ponder their ninja education system. Different years focused on different areas of the ninja arts, with more contemporary teaching spread out to supplement their learning. Almost all of the subjects are taught in all of the years even after they have been formally tested on it, to make sure they hadn't been faking or forgetting anything. Personally, Hiruzen thought that the system worked fairly well. It may be somewhat soft for what it was, but it continued to produce capable and talented shinobi and kunoichi every year, successfully weeding out the ones unsuited for the job.

Although, Hiruzen would be forced to admit, there are times where the Academy teachings have failed to do their job one way or another. Whether by allowing someone to pass who really shouldn't be in this line of work, or by failing someone who had proven to have incredible potential yet was unable to learn from the current system well enough. A graduate from last year, one Rock Lee if the Hokage remembered correctly, is a perfect example of the Academy's inability to adapt to students of unique circumstances.

A commotion in the distance outside the window caught his attention from his musings and he sighed. He knew it would only be a matter of time after the sun came up before the peace of the morning would be peeled back to reveal the true chaos of civilization. Sure enough, hurried footsteps approached his door before it was thrown open unannounced. Hiruzen would forgive the Chuunin that barged in. He wasn't in a meeting, the door wasn't locked, and clearly something was going on. "Hokage-sama! T-the Naruka girl, she- well, you've got to see it, sir!"

The Hokage breathed out calmly, smoke rushing from the corner of his mouth as he held his pipe in place. He wasn't concerned, seeing that he knew she wasn't in danger. It was fairly obvious that it was another prank, though this one seemed to be another spectacle. A pause, then, "Thank you, Higashi-kun. I wouldn't want to miss dear Naruka-chan's last prank. It would be quite rude of me, you see."

The Chuunin Higashi blinked, taken aback by his leader's nonchalance. "S-sir?!"

The Hokage smiled. "Whatever she did, she is intending to make it her last performance. A final bow, if you will. After all, she'll likely be too busy after this week to continue with her larger endeavors." He turned away from the window and stepped around his desk, heading for the door and passed the stunned ninja, that smile still on his face.

Higashi found his voice, his brain latching onto the way Sarutobi Hiruzen said that. "A-after this week, sir? How are you so sure? What's so special about this week?"

"Didn't you notice, Higashi-kun?" Without breaking his stride, he smiled over his shoulder. "It's Graduation Week!"

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

"Naruka! What were you thinking?!"

"Hey, Iruka-sensei! Looks like you found me first- I did it, though! I had hoped to have a little more time, but I managed to learn one jutsu from this scroll! That means I pass, now, right?!"

Iruka didn't understand. Why was she so excited- she was in a lot of trouble! "Naruka! What are you talking about?"

The girl with the waist-length blonde hair didn't get to answer, however, as another voice announced its arrival. "Very _good_ , Naruka! Now hand over the scroll- Oh, Iruka... you had to get here first, didn't you? If you had been just a minute slower, we'd be rid of that demon by now!"

Iruka turned woodenly, looking up to see Mizuki, fully geared for combat with his twin fuma shuriken on his back. The situation dawned on him, and his stomach dropped.

It dropped further when Mizuki, having dropped whatever kind facade he had been putting up and taunting Naruka, said, "You want to know why the whole village hates you- why you don't have any parents?!"

"Mizuki, no! Don't! You know the law!"

"Shut up, Iruka! You think I care about the law or this village anymore after sending this little bitch to steal the scroll?" The silver-haired man turned back to the stunned girl on the ground. "Iruka hates you too, you know that? Wanna know why? The Nine-Tailed Fox _killed_ his parents, did you know that? You probably think it killed yours, too, but you're wrong!"

"Mizuki, don't!"

"You're wrong, you brat! Because you _are_ the Kyuubi no Kitsune! _You_ are the demon that killed so many people, and _that_ is why everyone hates you! _That_ is why you _DIE!_ "

Iruka didn't even need to think- he simply moved. Suddenly he was hunched over Naruka's trembling form, telling her to take the scroll and run, that he didn't hate her, that she needed to go find help. He barely felt the giant shuriken in his back.

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

"That's so cute... You think you can even hurt me, let alone protect your precious sensei," Mizuki sneered at her as he held her up off the ground by her hair, Naruka grabbing at his wrists and trying to kick him as she struggled. "You're going to die here, you weak little brat! I'm going to finish what the Yondaime started, and then I'm gonna deliver you _and_ the scroll to my employer and get the hell out of this weak village! Hopefully my employer can finally come here and do some real damage to this damn place."

Naruka, by sheer chance, twisted in her flailing and made brief eye contact with Iruka. He was laying against a tree nearby, helpless due to his wounds. She saw the look in his eye; the fear he had for her safety. She watched him struggle to stand, only to slump back to the ground painfully. And all of the sudden, her rage increased tenfold. Iruka was one of the only people to treat her like a normal girl- like a person! He had all those horrible wounds because of _her_ , and she had gotten herself captured, flailing uselessly.

' _No more!'_ she thought, ending her struggling and removing her hands from Mizuki's wrists.

Of course, the silver-haired man took immediate notice. "Oh? What's this- have you given up, little fox?"

"Like hell! I just remembered that I never showed you the jutsu I learned for my 'makeup exam', _sensei_ ," she spat back, sarcasm dripping off of every word. Before he could do anything about it, she brought her hands together... again and again.

Seven hand signs, she flew through. As fast as she could without messing up, she performed the jutsu she had only actually read about- and activated in small bursts. But here? Here, she meant to use it in its fullest glory. " **Mezame-en: Naibuka!** "

Mizuki cursed as his hands stung, forcing him to let go of her long hair and step back. His eyes widened as he saw her hair actually _glowing_ , waving as though alive. She had landed on her knees, and was apparently holding in screams of pain, clutching her stomach.

For her part, it was all Naruka could do to stay conscious. This was the worst pain she had ever experienced- she'd never complain about her cramps again! But with the pain came the feeling of a kind of power. A sense of invigoration the likes of which she had never dreamed. It flowed through her, pulsing out from her core and burning its way through her veins. She could feel herself heat up- already she was sweating in her orange and white sweatpants and jacket. She gasped- the pain was ebbing away, but the fire was only getting hotter. It had spread through her, consumed her- she could feel it at her scalp, now, pushing out through her hair like water through a showerhead- but _hot!_ So very hot, all over! She momentarily panicked- would it get so hot that she'd actually melt? Was that why ' **Awakened Flame: Internalize** ' was a forbidden jutsu?

But suddenly, just as she felt that she could take no more, it stopped. Not the burning- no, she was still hotter than ever, the fire licking along her hair, sweat glossing her skin. But the heat had stopped climbing, and she panted, exhausted.

And then she wasn't.

Her breath returned to her, and she felt the strength in her every movement as she climbed back to her feet, refreshed as though born again.

She might as well have been, really.

Mizuki, of course, couldn't believe it. He had never heard of the jutsu she had used, but anything that could cause that much heat to radiate out of her had to take enormous chakra- not to mention the strange flame-like effect that was pouring off of her blonde locks. He examined his hands for a moment, wincing as he both saw and felt the blisters forming. He looked back up to see Naruka turning around- he flinched as she opened her eyes.

Her small black pupils had taken on the shifting, dancing appearance of a wisp of fire- a black flame surrounded by deep pools of blue. Her long blond hair was waving around slightly behind her and over her shoulders, as though disturbed by a breeze. The effect was overshadowed, however, by the transparent yellowish flames flowing along it, roaring quietly, occasionally popping or sparking.

Naruka didn't fear it, anymore. It didn't hurt. It, itself, wasn't even uncomfortable after she was able to stand. She suddenly very much wished she was wearing cooler clothing, but she could ignore it for the moment, able to tolerate the sweat gathering on her skin. It didn't drip from her nose or stain her clothes like such profuse sweating should have- in fact, it very rarely coalesced into flowing beads at all, simply coating her skin and making her seem to shine.

And _glow_. Kami, did she glow. Even as the sky began to grey, signs that the sun would soon rise, the clearing they were in was lit much too brightly. Naruka took her eyes off of Mizuki for a moment to look down at her hands, clenching and relaxing them, flexing her arms as she felt the _power_ flowing through her. Turning her hands over a few times she both felt and saw orange sparks- licks of flame- jump around her fingers, further evidence that she had passed the 'test' mentioned in the scroll. Bringing her eyes back up to her former sensei, she scowled. "What was that you were saying? Something about being weak?"

Before he could respond to her, she ran for him, noticing a slight increase in her speed. Mizuki, however, was not a trained Chuunin for nothing, and sidestepped her wild punch at the last moment. Everyone's eyes, however, widened at the result they had caused.

Naruka looked down at her fist, then back up at the 4-foot thick tree she had just knocked down, a jagged stump steaming and smoldering as the rest of the tree fell some distance away. She heard Mizuki gasp out expletives, almost in denial of what she- not even a Genin- had just done. She couldn't blame him; she nearly didn't believe it, herself. But the proof was right there in front of her, and she felt a sense of joy and accomplishment well up inside her- a feeling she hadn't felt so strongly since she had successfully performed the **Kawarimi no Jutsu** for the first time, almost a year ago.

Naruka turned back around and clenched her fists, liquid fire bursting from them, the orange-red plasma both burning like flame and dripping like a thick liquid, all at once. "So I'm the Kyuubi, am I? Why don't I remember that, huh," she asked rhetorically, fury bubbling beneath her low tones. She launched herself at him, fist aimed for his chest. He moved, leaping a dozen meters back- which turned out to just barely be enough as her fist met the ground instead. Angry red cracks appeared around the point of impact for several meters, the ground practically bursting apart as hot rock and flame shot into the air. She stood back up woodenly, turning her blazing blue eyes back to him. "Funny, all I remember is being beaten... neglected... insulted and lied to all my life by..." She sniffed, tears building in her eyes. "By the people..." Naruka shook her head as she yelled, her tears scattering to the wind and becoming steam by their own heat, "BY THE PEOPLE I LOVE!"

Mizuki had to leap high into the branches of a tree, then hurriedly move to an entirely different tree as the one he was on was brought down by Naruka's flaming lariat. The blonde shook with anger and sorrow as her tears fell from her chin, her head down. The salty drops evaporated and drifted away on the draft caused by her heat before they even reached the ground. "I loved you, sensei... You don't like me, a-and you never really have.. But you always tried s-so hard to help everyone else... Everyone," she sobbed, and her flames seemed to wither as the anger shifted further to sorrow, taking on a darker, almost blue tinge, "E-everyone always seems so nice to each other... Th-this village is so alive a-and I just.. I-I love them... The shopkeepers, the farmers on the east side, th-the shinobi that protect us, all the kids at the Academy, I..." The flames returned slowly, gaining color again, a reddish hue surrounding her hair and licking along her body. Her head snapped up, revealing the tears streaming down her face and the smile on her lips. "I _love_ this village!" she proclaimed, out of breath from crying.

She turned to look at Iruka, saw the stunned look in his eyes, and a tinge of sorrow bled back into her own. "Th-that's why I want to be a kunoichi so badly... I-I just love this village so much... I want to protect it! I will protect this village with my own two hands! Even if nobody in it loves me back!" At this, Naruka tilted her head back up to regard Mizuki, the aura around her returning to its original strength and color, orange-yellow once again. Her face was a mask of anger, frustration, and determination. The conflict could be seen quite clearly, "I loved you, sensei... But you want to hurt _my_ village... So... S-so..." She shook, fists clenched, as the forbidden fire grew in intensity, building in pressure until it all burst at once, engulfing her and throwing her hair backwards into a frenzy when she exclaimed, "SO NOW I HAVE TO KILL YOU!"

Mizuki's eyes widened and he quickly vacated his branch as it suddenly exploded, Naruka passing through the spot he was just in with her fist extended. He landed next to the spot she had been standing in, briefly glancing at the scorched earth and grass and the broken depressions in the ground where her feet had launched from. Unfortunately, that one brief glance was all Naruka needed to land a glancing blow on his chest, which nevertheless sent him skidding across the clearing, clutching his chest as he felt the burn settling in, sensing that she had actually cracked a rib with one knuckle. Mizuki growled in pain, but it was tainted by his fear, sounding more like a choked whimper.

"You already hurt my sensei... I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

' _This is bad,'_ Mizuki thought. Based on the damage she had shown she was capable of, he knew that one good punch could end him. With that in mind, he pulled a scroll from his pouch, unfurling it to-

"Gah!"

Mizuki leapt back, watching the scroll with several of his signature fuuma shuriken go up in smoke, clutched in Naruka's burning fist. "I told you already, baka! You have to die, now! I don't want to do it, and it makes me sad, b-but I have to. You're a traitor.. Traitors die... Y-you taught us that..."

Mizuki recoiled in shock. The tears were still falling, turning to steam as they dripped from her slender chin. In spite of everything he felt, everything he thought he _knew_ , he believed her. Her countenance, her actions, the risk she took in foolishly performing a jutsu she learned from the Forbidden Scroll just further legitimized her claim. Since her first little speech, her first show of strength, he had been struggling to connect the image of the terrifying Kyuubi no Kitsune with this poor, conflicted, lost girl that was crying about having to fight him. Against his will, countless images flashed through his memory, reminding him of moments when he had sat by and relished in the ostracization or the treatment she had endured. She deserved them, he knew. But she should have hated it. And while she clearly didn't enjoy it, she never seemed to hold it against anyone for long. It was frustrating, really, how quickly she could bounce back and forgive people. This, he realized, was the 'love' she spoke of. Somehow, for whatever reason, the fox had fallen in love with the village, and he couldn't help but believe it. Hence why her determination to eliminate him came at such a sudden shock. Even though he had never taken notice of it, he had subconsciously gotten used to the mindset that Naruka, the fox in human form, would forgive nearly anything. But clearly, he had found something that she simply would not permit. He believed that she really didn't want to kill him, but that she believed it was necessary. He believed it, all of it.

Even the fact that _she could do it_.

It was with a kind of numb acceptance that Mizuki realized that it actually was he, himself, that had covered the lessons on traitors, missing-nin, and deserters. Of which, from her and Iruka's perspectives at least, he was currently classed.

' _This demon would go so far... to protect the village from me?'_ Mizuki was having difficulties simply processing that thought, let alone acting on it. Once again, he glanced down at the scorched earth beside him, just before he looked back up to see Naruka charging once more.

The trail of tears she left behind evaporated rapidly, giving the appearance of mist flowing from her eyes as she ran forward. Her hair fanned out behind her, the fire glowing and gulping in air, an orange stream of power waving wildly. Every time her foot came up from the ground, a small burst of flame- almost an explosion- propelled her ever forward, and her fist was wreathed in the wavering orange veil of plasma. Her arm cocked up by her head in a wide haymaker, she screamed in frustration and anger as she drove her fist into Mizuki's left cheek, his eyes wide as he stared, too shocked to move. Just as she made contact, she heard him mutter something before he screamed in pain, being launched across the whole clearing by the blast of searing flame she shot from her fist.

Mizuki tumbled and spun until his back impacted a thick tree, a sickening crunch accompanying his arrested momentum. With barely a groan, he slumped to the side, clearly out.

Naruka hesitantly stepped forward, knowing that she had to finish it but struggling to do so. The the orange tongues writhed around her fists and gently up her arms as she took step after wooden step. It was only when she was halfway across the clearing that she heard it.

"Naruka, stop. ... Th-that's enough."

She whipped around, the fire in her eyes, her hands, her hair, all dying out at once. Sweat still glossed her skin as she gasped out, the tears falling anew and finally allowed to reach the ground. "I-Iruka-sensei?!" She ran back to him, taking in the bloody mess he was in. At his side in an instant, she hovered her hands over him, seeking to help but unsure how to begin. She jumped when his hand came up and grabbed hers, his face smiling.

"Naruka-chan, you.. Did great. Leave Mizuki where he is..." he panted, breathing carefully, "He needs to be taken.. for questioning... not killed."

"B-but... Iruka-sensei, why-"

"Go and get Hokage-sama.. Naruka-chan. I'll watch... Mizuki. Get Hokage-sama, bring him the scroll.. Get it safe."

Naruka wanted to argue, wanted to bring up Iruka's wounds, but the words caught in her throat. She swallowed them down and nodded, understanding the order. With one last look at Mizuki, she grabbed the Forbidden Scroll and disappeared through the trees.

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

Naruka squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She was in the Hokage's office, alone, waiting for the old man to return and, probably, punish her for stealing the scroll last night. She hated this- waiting for punishments or lectures. It just made the guilt build to heights beyond whatever her latest actions really deserved. Which, she supposed, was kind of the point, but it just worked a little _too_ well on her.

Truthfully, after such an emotional night, she just wanted to go home and sleep. Feeling the sweat on her skin and the warmth that never quite disappeared, she thought to herself, ' _And strip down to do it.'_ But alas, here she was, waiting for her Kage to get back from some kind of impromptu meeting, the Forbidden Scroll leaning against the side of the desk, as though to further press on her guilt.

Mizuki had been escorted someplace other than the hospital, and that's all she knew about his fate. She had briefly glimpsed the charred flesh on the left side of his face, his eye swollen shut, and she grimaced at the memory.

Naruka tugged at her collar, getting slightly worried that she had hardly cooled down since this morning. She had thought the jutsu ended when the flames died away, and any attempts to dispel it further had resulted in nothing. Perhaps _this_ was the reason it was called forbidden? At first, she had still believed that Mizuki had given her a makeup exam, and so proceeded to perform the brief preparation ritual and learn the jutsu without giving it much thought.

Now, of course, she had kicked herself for being so trusting. It was simply in her nature, and she had been spending a lot of time since then trying not to imagine the many horrible reasons the jutsu might be considered forbidden. At the moment, she was still betting that she'd melt quite soon.

Fortunately, she was saved from thinking about that much longer, as the door finally opened behind her, Naruka turning in her seat to see a Jonin bowing to the Hokage, a bundle of folders in hand before he left, Sarutobi Hiruzen closing the door and making his way over to his desk. The old shinobi groaned lightly as he sat down and briefly examined some articles on his desk before pushing them to one side. He folded his fingers together on his desk and smiled at her, saying, "Ohayogozaimasu, Naruka-chan. How are you feeling?"

Naruka squirmed a little, wishing he'd just get the lecture over with. "U-uhm... O-ohayo, Hokage-ossan.. I-I'm okay. Really warm," she added under her breath, but Hiruzen clearly heard it, as his smirk twitched.

He took a breath and adjusted his posture, chuckling a little. "Yes, well. I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to that part, Naruka-chan."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

The Sandaime turned his chair and pulled the Forbidden Scroll up onto the desk, rolling through it and mumbling under his breath as he skimmed the contents. Finally coming to rest at a particular section, he read aloud, "'Harnessing the power of the origin of Katon jutsu, the user enters a pact with **Flame** itself. If the **Flame** finds the summoner wanting, their lives are forfeit. If their inner fire is found worthy, the **First Flame** will bond a part of itself to their souls, releasing power unbound, and the **Awakened Flame**.'" Hiruzen looked up from the scroll at her and grinned a little. "I'm paraphrasing of course, and a lot of it is in an old dialect, difficult to translate reliably. To be honest, I'm amazed and impressed that you were able to decipher what little instructions there were, not to mention whatever you went through to prove yourself."

Naruka, caught in the hypnotic ease of the Hokage's voice, let herself slowly relax. She scratched the back of her head shyly at his praise. "Heh.. It was pretty painful at first, but then it was like... like I had never breathed before, been drowning all my life, and suddenly my lungs were full of air!"

Hiruzen smiled at her momentary exuberance, glad to see her going back to her old self. Pity and guilt didn't become her. "Hm, indeed. As to my earlier comment, this technique you learned against all odds is, as I have read, much more than a simple jutsu. I understand you had to perform a short ritual to prepare it?" At her nod, he continued, "As I understand it, the technique is simply the beginning- the activation which calls the **Flame** forth so that it may internalize with you and awaken. Naruka... I have never said this with more possible sincerity: You have a _fire_ within you."

She didn't really know what to think. "I mean... I already kinda _guessed_ that.. But Jiji, what... what does that _mean_? Like.. am I always gonna be this hot? What can this.. _**Flame**_ even do? Isn't that all just historic mumbo-jumbo?"

Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "Naruka, you must understand that the world is full of spirits and legends all based in fact. However they may have been twisted by time, the situation remains that you have obtained a power the likes of which hasn't been seen in ages. Regardless of your level of control over it, or its actual limits, you have succeeded where others have failed. The heat you are feeling is proof that your will is worthy of commanding this power. I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually.

"And while Mizuki was not being truthful when he instructed you to steal this scroll," he said while he rolled it back up and set it on the floor, "Your accomplishments last night still warrant.." Hiruzen reached into a drawer in his desk, pulling out a bundle of cloth and presenting it to her.

Naruka took the bundle and gasped as she unwrapped the blue cloth, revealing a metal plate with the Konoha leaf symbol engraved upon it.

A scream from within the office startled the Hokage's secretary, prompting her to open the door and chuckle at Naruka nearly suffocating Hiruzen in a hug.

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

Naruka sat in an isolated corner of the park, trying to meditate. She had changed into a pair of orange and blue shorts, the legs rolled up at the bottom into thicker cuffs, and a black, thick-strapped tube top. She had white bandages around her navel, just enough to conceal her seal when it appeared, and an orange and white V-neck vest with a blue hood that she left unzipped. More white bandages flowed over her elbows, halfway up her upper and lower arms, and orange knee socks adorned her calves above standard blue shinobi sandals. The Konoha headband was an unfamiliar but comforting weight on her forehead. She was as comfortable as she felt she could be without looking too risque or simply strange, and still her skin was flushed prettily and shining with a light sweat.

Still, she was getting used to it, and was even finding the heat to be soothing at times. Which was good, because she could use something to soothe her nerves, right now.

After bringing up Mizuki's accusations regarder her and the Kyuubi to the Hokage, Naruka had been understandably surprised and upset to learn the truth. Eventually she had to concede to Hiruzen's reasons for keeping it as secret as he could. From the way he told it, it seemed like the secret would have never gotten out if he could help it, but was forced to rely on mere damage control when information about the Kyuubi was leaked to the public.

The knowledge that the 'Naruka is the Kyuubi' mindset was originally a wild theory that became a rumor that became accepted fact only further convinced her that the villagers were simply ignorant and already convinced of one truth- Convincing them otherwise would be difficult, but not impossible. However, it would take a lot of effort on her part, preventing the Hokage from putting the truth out there, himself.

And so she easily forgave him and them. While she wished things were different, she accepted that she'd just have to work at it- convincing the villagers that she wasn't the Kyuubi, or at least that she, 'the Kyuubi brat', was good.

And she decided to start with the only other person whose reputation would be on the line. That wasn't exactly her original reason for wanting to contact the Kyuubi sealed within her, but the thought had crossed her mind, sitting here as she was. Meditating.

In the park.

On the ground.

With ants craWLING UP HER LEGS, OH KAMI!

A quick relocation to a bench later and Naruka was trying to calm herself back down, face red. ' _Focus.. Imagine the Kyuubi in front of you.. I wonder if it's as big as everyone says it is. Probably not, people like to exaggerate. Gah, stop it! Focus!_

' _Wait, maybe don't focus? I'm supposed to clear my mind, so...'_

" **Hm-hm-hm-hm... As amusing as this is, I'm getting impatient. Open your eyes, whelp."**

Naruka's eyes shot open with a gasp, and gone was the park. Gone were the trees, the distant calls of children, the bench beneath her butt. She was now standing in ankle-deep water in what looked like the basement of an industrial complex, or some kind of sewer. And in front of her, truly massive bars formed a gate. Held closed by what looked like a single strip of paper with the kanji 'SEAL' on it, the bars were almost certainly a cage. A cage for...

"Kyuubi no Kitsune... Hm. I was right. You really aren't as big as everyone makes you out to be," Naruka challenged, crossing her arms under her developing bust.

The beast growled and butted its head up against the cage. " **Watch your tongue, infant, before I rip it out!"**

Naruka looked the great demon up and down, scrutinizing its current position. "Yeah sorry, I'm just not seeing a way for you to back that up."

" **GrrrRR, LET ME OUT OF HERE SO I CAN RIP YOU APART LIKE YOUR WRETCHED PARENTS!"** Again and again the Kyuubi slammed its shoulder against the cage, but Naruka only noticed one thing.

She started, her arms fallen to her sides, eyes wide. "Y-you... S-so you really did... kill my parents?" she asked, almost quiet.

The fox seemed to calm for a moment, satisfied that he was at least causing her some emotional grief. " **That's right, you miniature bitch. The night I was unleashed upon your cesspit of a village, your parents fought against me. Just before I was sealed in your hideously tiny body, I eliminated those two pathetic excuses for rose thorns, just like I'm going to do to you once I get out of here!"**

The Biju possibly would have continued monologuing, likely containing more derogatory variations of the word 'small' for some reason, were it not for the giant (for a human) fireball that flew right for its face. Of course, its face being behind the bars, it was unharmed.

The seal paper, however, took a direct hit.

And judging from the look on Naruka's face- her hair ablaze with orange flames, hand outstretched and flickering with fire- that had been the real target in the first place.

The Kyuubi started laughing, lowly at first, but steadily growing in volume and tremor at the gaping, red-hot hole in the bars where the seal and unseen lock had been. " **Foolish brat! Arrogance is typical of a human, but never did I imagine that simple goading would be enough to enable my release! Now, little morsel... DIE!"**

Bursting from the cage with a ground-shaking leap, it lunged for Naruka, its fangs bearing down on her form, her blazing bangs shadowing her eyes.

And then the Kyuubi's head snapped to the side sharply, collapsing onto its shoulder as it _yelped_ in pain. It turned its eyes to regard her with shock, her fist still extended and absolutely _roaring_ with fire, steam rolling off of her arms as the sweat evaporated continuously. "Why...?"

The Kyuubi, still dazed, didn't respond, simply blinked the stars away from its vision.

Naruka spoke again as she slowly walked over to the fox's head, "Why, Kyuubi? Why did you do it?" She raised her head, revealing tears building behind otherwise serene eyes, the flame having overtaken her pupils once again. "Why did you attack the village? Why did you kill Iruka's parents? Sakura-chan's cousin? The Yondaime?" By now, she was standing right in front of the fox's snout, unafraid of the stunned beast. Her fists shook at her side. "Why... WHY DID YOU KILL MY PARENTS?!"

The Kyuubi roared in pain and indignation as another flaming, super-strong fist came and uppercut it _back to its feet_. Even as it recoiled, it growled and yelled back, " **Because they were in my way and I had no choice! I was summoned against my will, that day, controlled most of the night until my resealing!"** It slammed its paw down on top of Naruka, sending water and stone flying. It didn't expect that to do the trick, and Naruka didn't disappoint when she landed some distance away, so he continued, " **Don't get me wrong, ant! I was trying to escape my previous container and wreak havoc on the village, anyway! When I discovered that they meant to seal me up again, and into your sorry form, no less, I tried to kill you! Your parents getting in the way of my claw was a happy accident, I'll admit, but I still wish I had been able to take all three of you out in one fell swoop!"** The Kyuubi lifted its left paw, curling all but the first claw and examining it. " **I suppose I should be thankful. If you hadn't inherited your mother's hot-headedness, I wouldn't have this chance to try again!"**

Clearly intending on charging her again, it was caught off-guard when she _hurled_ a large fireball at its face, which the Kyuubi took on side of its snout. Howling at the intense fire actually hurting it, the beast whirled around when it felt something pulling on two of its nine tails.

Naruka screamed with exertion, fire licking along her limbs, empowering her from within as she _yanked_ the Kyuubi off its feet. She dug her heel into the ground and turned, actually spinning the titanic beast around by its tails for one rotation before tossing it against the wall and panting, the room shaking from the impact. "Just... sit for a minute, okay?... You know... I'm a little happy that.. You know enough about my mom to.. Compare us." Catching her breath, she started walking towards it as the Biju struggled to its feet. "In fact, I think if you weren't such a dick about it, I might've forgiven you in exchange for whatever you knew about my mom or my dad. After all, it seems like we're stuck with each other- not just you stuck with me, ya know? I can't let you out like you want, or you'll go loco on the village again, right? I guess what Jiji said was true, huh?" She stopped and stared into its eyes defiantly. "I am Konoha's guardian... just by keeping you at bay!" Naruka let the flames in her eyes and her hair die down, regarding her tenant with hope. "So, since I'm definitely not letting you out, how about you sit down, and maybe we can see if there's something we can work out?"

The fire sprung back to her hair and her fist immediately as she punched an oncoming tail whip, knocking the appendage away. "Okay, now I'm _telling_ you. Sit down, and let's talk about this!"

The Kyuubi roared desperately, plunging its left claw, the very claw it had used to take away her parents, straight for her. Naruka took one step to her left and _caught_ the claw against her side, skidding back several meters, the water thrashing even as it began to simmer and steam from her heat. She glared up at the Kyuubi's face and yelled, "Alright, THAT'S IT!" With another scream of pure exertion, she pulled back with her arms and her steps. She heard the surprised grunt of the Kyuubi and said, "You used this to take my parents away, so now I'm taking it from you!" And with a mighty heave and a spray of blood, Naruka _ripped_ the Kyuubi's claw right out of its paw.

The Biju's roar of pain and rage shook the room again, tossing the water about with its voice alone. But Naruka wasn't done. Yet another painful bellow echoed through the room as she leapt into the air only to come down and drive the tip of the giant spike through its paw and into the stone below, pinning it to the ground. Her eyes blazing with rage, she whipped her head up to look into his red eyes and yelled, "Now SIT!"

 _And it did._

It was a pregnant moment that followed the Kyuubi's sudden and loud drop from standing on all fours to sitting on its hindquarters, head bowed submissively. Naruka breathed heavily, stepping down from atop the Kyuubi's paw. Slightly out of breath, but still emanating an aura of control, she maintained her gaze with the giant's red orbs. "Well... That was... unexpected. But better."

The Kyuubi said nothing, moved nothing, simply breathed as it watched her.

"So.. You're sitting."

This time, the Kyuubi nodded slightly, still keeping its head down.

Naruka felt a bit like she had been caught with her pants down, not entirely sure what was happening, now. "So.. Let's talk."

" **And what would you have me say? Truthfully I know little about your parents, trapped in that seal as I was. Only on moments when that seal was weak could I glean anything about my container- she never used my chakra, after all."**

"M-my mother.. Was the last container?" Naruka asked under her breath, too surprised to raise her voice.

If the Kyuubi heard her, it didn't indicate that it had. " **Furthermore, it seems that without the actual key to your seal, we cannot instigate a true sharing or exchange of chakra- your destruction of the cage seems to have simply altered the way the seal is operating, as evidenced by our interaction just now.**

" **And all of that aside, it is as you said. You cannot let me out, as you have nothing to keep me from going back on any promise I make and simply laying waste to your village."**

Naruka frowned cutely. The Biju was clearly willing to talk now that she had beaten it into submission, but it seemed to still be harboring some stubborn resentment. "Well, then we'll just have to get to the point where we can trust each other, right? Then I can take you out for walks," she added with a toothy grin, clearly joking.

The Kyuubi gave a strange bark of a laugh. " **Perhaps I was wrong about you... a little. You're still a whelp, a tiny little thing. But if the** _ **Flame**_ **has chosen you... Hm... Kit!"** Naruka jumped at being addressed in such a way, wondering what it meant to the fox. " **I wish to offer you a deal. I will promise to try to... trust you, if you can say the same. As a show of good faith, I will give you a gift. In return, when you gain the power to open the seal completely, you will let me... stretch my legs, so to speak. The times are too short and too far between where I am outside of a container, these last few centuries."**

She could hardly believe her 'sit down and talk about this' plan was actually working! Still, the ambiguity of his offer put her on edge. "What kind of... gift are you talking about? It's not anything like... turn me into a demon or something, right? And what, exactly, do you mean by stretching your legs?"

The Kyuubi seemed to frown, if that was possible. " **You realize I'm not actually a** _ **demon**_ **, don't you? And my goals are not as sinister as you seem to believe. Your mind can likely hardly fathom how long I've been alive, and how much of that time has been spent sealed away. A few days in an uninhabited forest, or prowling a mountainside is precious to me.**

" **And as for the gift.."** The Kyuubi seemed to grin as it brought its right hand-like paw over to its still-pinned left one. Naruka was briefly on edge at the movement, but really wanted to be able to trust it, and so forced herself to relax. " **It is technically yours already by right of conquest, but I will draw out its true strength in a form you can use."** The Kyuubi used the thumb and forefinger claws of its right hand to pinch the claw stuck in its left. Almost immediately, Naruka watched in awe as the severed claw cracked, red light spilling from the quickly multiplying fractures, before it finally exploded into rapidly dissolving fragments, leaving behind a sheathed sword, clutched in the Kyuubi's claws. It deposited the weapon in her outstretched arms, and she gasped in shock at how heavy it was.

It appeared about the length of a ninjato. The sheath had orange-red fur running in patches all along it, interrupted by stitched red leather strips at irregular intervals and angles, a red strap waiting to be attached to something. The hilt had similar fur, but less of it, simply poking out from under the red leather binding. The pommel was a solid bronze cap, a small foxtail charm hanging from it by a short length of red rope, and the guard was perhaps the most ornate, bearing a gold appearance of nine metal tails in an interlocking spiral spreading from the hilt. But the real beauty was the blade itself.

"Woaaaah!" Naruka exclaimed as she drew the blade, watching as red light poured from the sheath, displaying a seal or jutsu at work that was far beyond her understanding. Once it was fully drawn, the sword was revealed to be significantly larger than the sheath along every dimension- indeed, it seemed its sheathed state was some kind of illusion in the first place, as the honest-to-Kami _zanbato_ in her hand didn't even have a proper hand guard anymore, the golden tails swallowed up by the base of the large blade and the mass of Kyuubi-colored fur where the hilt met the blade. The end of the six foot sword was slightly curved back, giving it a kind of fang- or claw-like appearance, and the blade itself was much more yellowish-white than a steel sword would be. Running her fingers along the flat of the weapon, she couldn't decipher if it was simply made to appear organic or if it was actually some kind of bone. The fur was soft, almost sinfully so, and it made her wonder if all of Kyuubi's fur was like that.

She pushed the thought from her mind- the Biju definitely wouldn't appreciate her trying to find out- and focused on testing the weight of the giant sword. It was _heavy_ , something she wouldn't have been able to lift with two hands a few days ago, let alone swing around with one as she was now. But it seemed the **Flame** had empowered her permanently with more than just its heating effect.

Sheathing the blade, she watched with fascination as the red light emanated from the mouth of the sheath, swallowing up first the curved tip, and then the rest of the giant blade into the comparatively small container. ' _Kind of like the Kyuubi and I,'_ she thought idly. Holding the sword against her chest protectively- almost lovingly- she looked up at the Kyuubi, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "This... This is.. the best gift I think I've ever gotten... But I can't take it." At the Biju's confused tilt of its head, she smiled a little bigger. "I can't accept this gift... from a stranger. So... I'm Genin Uzumaki Naruka, Kunoichi Guardian of Konoha! What's your name?"

The great fox blinked, blinked again, then broke into belly-filled laughter, shaking its head wistfully before calming and lowering it down to look her in the eye. " **You truly are the most surprising human I've met in centuries, Uzumaki Naruka! This handsome fox is Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, strongest of all the Biju!"**

She grinned, and they laughed together for a moment before something occurred to her. "Oh, so you _are_ a boy, then?"

" **You mean you didn't KNOW?!"**

 **(~HJN~)**

 **Ah, comedy! The perfect end to a rather emotionally-charged first chapter.**

 **I don't know what to say, really. Ash did a great job cleaning this chapter up, and she helped a lot with Kurama's dialogue. The 'Awakened Flame' thing is going to be a branching plot device- we're going to delve into some pretty unique lore I'm steadily making up for it.**

 **Ah, Naruka. So hot-headed. I wonder if there were any consequences to her actions out in the real world?**

 **Also, in regards to the sword: yes, the blade itself and the 'transformation' from sheathed to unsheathed are very similar to Inuyasha's sword. It's not the only one, but that should give you an idea of how the actual blade looks, aside from all the other details I mentioned. Also, the 'First Flame' thing took some heavy inspiration from Dark Souls, but I almost immediately did away with all of that telling lore in favor of making my own. You may still see some parallels between Naruka's powers and Pyromancy from the games, but hopefully not much and not in such detail that they could actually be called 'copies'.**

 **So yeah! That's the latest poll-winner. The next thing to be updated will either be** _ **Boundless**_ **or** _ **Shifted Dreams**_ **, so go check those out if you haven't already!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed!**

 **Ja ne~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Work has been really hectic- in a bad way. Not being sure when I'll even have work any given day of the week has been stressing me out. Still writing a little every day, though, hence this update. Kind of jumps around a bit, hopefully it's not too jarring.**

 **Enjoy~**

 **(~HJN~)**

For the second time in as many days, Naruka found herself sitting in the Hokage's office, squirming in her seat and hoping she wouldn't be punished. Only this time, she wasn't kept waiting long, and it wasn't just the Hokage staring at her. Dammit, she wished she could stop sweating- she just _knew_ it was making her look guilty!

It didn't help that she felt legitimately guilty that she had set that bench in the park on fire while she was in the seal. Which, of course, was how the ANBU had found her in the first place, some of them apparently witnessing her sword appear in her lap just before she woke up.

"Naruka-chan," the Hokage began, seemingly at random to the blonde. "Please explain, one more time for the Elders, what you meant when you said you 'made the Kyuubi your bitch'."

The squirming subsided, the nervousness that came in when she finished her explanation making way for amusement at the old man's words. Barely reining in a small smirk, she complied. "Well, it's like I said! He- Kurama- thought he could just kill me or eat me and get free, but I showed him that _I_ was the one in control by beating his big furry butt into the wall, dattebai! Apparently, even breaking the lock in the seal isn't enough to let him go; I have to willingly let him free," she grinned, not even registering the naked, abject shock on the faces of the three Elders, nor the slight smirk on the Hokage as she finished, "And until he cleans up his act a little, _that_ sure as hell ain't happening!"

" **What are you implying, infant?!"**

She ignored her tenant for now, not seeing the benefit in responding to him in front of the village leaders. Who, speaking of, were still staring at her, seemingly gobsmacked.

Equally as shocked but enjoying himself regardless, Sarutobi spoke again, if only to drive the point home, "And one more time, for the record, how did you obtain your beautiful new sword?"

Looking down at the sheathed blade in her lap- the fur of which she was absently running her fingers through- she smiled softly. It was actually a little unnerving the way her gentle expression and tone was at complete odds with her actual words. "It is literally and figuratively the same claw that the Kyuubi used to kill my parents. I ripped it from his paw at the end of our fight, and he turned it into a sword for me as a spoil of combat, and a sign of respect and obedience."

" **Hey, you don't need to go around telling everyone! Keep it to yourself, whelp!"**

She looked back up at the three old men and one old woman- she could have sworn she saw Shimura Danzo-sama's eye twitching (' _Always remember the -_ sama _, it's very important to old people')_ \- and watched as the Hokage shifted his satisfied grin from her to his comrades for a few moments. Shortly after, when nothing happened and nobody seemed about to speak, Sarutobi stood up and walked around the table to meet her, saying as he did so, "Well, Naruka-chan, thank you for clearing all of that up for us. I dare say you've been a big help, today."

She hesitantly stood with him, casting glances at the still-frozen Elders. "Uh, sure, Hokage-jiji... Does this mean I'm not in trouble?"

The wizened old man chuckled and put his hand on her shoulder to gently steer her toward the door. "No trouble at all, Naruka-chan. Now go home and get some rest; you need to be at the Academy tomorrow to meet your new team, remember?"

She perked up immediately, all thoughts of the park gone from her mind. "Right! Thanks Hokage-jiji!" Giving the elders a hurried bow, she rushed out the door, too excited to finally be a Genin to sit still. With the sun setting, Naruka headed to Ichiraku Ramen before going home for another victory meal.

In the office she had left behind, however, chaos was imminent. Sarutobi sat down at his desk and turned away from his old teammates, Homura and Koharu, and his old rival, Danzo. Looking out on the village from his huge windows, he maintained a soft smile despite what he knew was coming. And even when it finally did, his smile did not waiver.

"You expect us to believe any of that?!"

"I have a hard time believing that a mere child could best the Kyuubi, ancient power or no!"

"I think we should restrain the contact the container has with her beast before things get out of hand."

"What if it's all a ploy? We have no idea- no precedence for how this seal interacts with the host!"

"And what's this nonsense about the Kyuubi being male? It's a Biju, a creature of chakra- I thought they had no genders!"

"I find the idea that such a mysterious force could be summoned forth by a bit of origami and fuinjutsu, Hiruzen, to be highly unlikely."

"That sword, surely it did not come from _nowhere_. Perhaps her acquisition of the blade is what started all of this?"

The Sandaime spun around and faced his three allies. Often misguided, and ever-paranoid, but still allies they remained. And it was for this reason, and their long history together, that he showed them mercy. "If I may assuage some of your fears, allow me to direct your attention to the ceiling."

At such an odd request, the Elders couldn't help but cease their various ramblings and collectively look up in confusion.

Koharu spoke first, "I see nothing, Hiruzen."

"Look closer, and come around behind my chair. I believe that would be the best vantage point."

Feeling a bit off balance, Koharu and Homura obeyed easily enough, Danzo following only moments later. Looking up at the ceiling, again, it was Danzo who reacted first. His squinted eye opening is shock, a grunt of interest escaped his throat. The other elders saw it as well, when he asked, "Hiruzen... what is the purpose of that seal matrix?"

The ninja known as The Professor smirked a little more as he, too, looked up at the large seal matrix painted in thin lines. "It's a _Saadia's Circle_ , painted in the style of alternate perspective art. It can only be seen as intended from this angle."

Danzo had hummed under his breath, but Koharu huffed in distrust. "A seal cannot be stretched and deformed like this and actually _function_ , Hiruzen."

He just chuckled. "You'd think so, wouldn't you. My wayward student, however, is more ingenious than you may think."

Homura interrupted him, however. "Perhaps it is my old age, or simply shock, but I can't seem to recall what sort of seal a _Saadia's Circle_ is."

Danzo answered for him in clipped tones. "In essence, it is a truth seal. Most forms of deception and misinformation are not possible within its area of effect- which means all of those things our jinchuuriki proclaimed just now were the most accurate versions of what happened that likely exist. It also means that nothing _we_ say can possibly be a lie."

Hiruzen nodded, noting how irritated Danzo sounded. "Correct. I took a gamble, using this- if Naruka-chan were to ask me who her parents were at this time, or any number of other secrets, it would be incredibly difficult for me to avoid telling her. Thankfully, I have always been a much better gambler than my student, Tsunade- you three's presence helped greatly in this instance."

Clearly overcoming significant shock, Koharu turned to give him a look. "And why, exactly, do you think that?"

Hiruzen chuckled. "Naruka-chan was too busy being afraid of punishment to assert herself as she normally would. You three being here only reinforced the idea in her mind that she was in trouble- the truth, of course, was that I wanted you to witness her tale in as honest an environment as possible."

Homura frowned, coming around to the front of the desk to look his old teammate in the face. "And why is that? What purpose did this exercise serve?"

Hiruzen's smile faded, and he became more serious. His voice was level and calm, but the look on his face was firm. "Uzumaki Naruka is a blessing. Surely you've all read Umino Iruka-san's report? She loves this village and everyone in it to such a degree and in a way that I'm not even certain all of _us_ can claim. Make no mistake, I do not doubt any of your loyalties- I believe that each one of you would lay down your lives to preserve this village. But until now, the potential for our jinchuuriki to defect, or turn on us- as much as I hate to admit it, it was always there. Or at least, I was aware that a person- especially a young woman- can only take so much social abuse and ostracization before they snap. No matter our personal feelings for the girl, I don't think any of us can deny that she is treated poorly in the village. And yet, as evidenced by the truth seal, she clearly holds no ill will towards any loyal resident of Konoha. She is, quite literally, the _last_ person we need to worry about in regards to loyalty.

"As if to further soothe our potential fears, we now know that only by her will can the Kyuubi escape its seal, assuming no one tries to rip it from her by force. Tying back to her unfaltering love for Konoha, I don't think we have to worry about her releasing the Kyuubi, either."

Hiruzen stood and walked to the window, watching both the village and the reflection of the other three people in the room. "Uzumaki Naruka is not a threat. She is not the Kyuubi, and is clearly ready to do whatever it takes to protect Konoha. Her tenacity and passion are unquestionable." He scoffed. "For Kami-sama's sake, she tore off the Kyuubi's claw and stabbed him with it! Everything we've learned over the last two days points to Naruka being an extremely valuable kunoichi to Konoha, never mind her sheer potential as both the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and an Avatar of the **First Flame**."

Danzo spoke, then, still sounding irritated. "Cut to the chase, Hiruzen. What are you trying to tell _us_?"

The Sandaime turned around and looked at them each in turn, hands folded behind his back. "I'm saying, my friends, that I want the discrimination- the de-humanization, the treating of her as a tool, as _less than she is_ \- to stop. At least by the people in this room, I want a promise. A promise, witnessed beneath _Saadia's Circle_ , that none of you will debase, defy, or otherwise interfere with Uzumaki Naruka's duties- whatever they may become in line with the benefit of Konoha. She has already proven herself loyal- proven herself capable. She is, truly, a guardian- holding the Kyuubi's leash, protecting us from it, and directing it at our enemies. I want your promise, Danzo, Homura, Koharu. Promise me that you will do nothing to knowingly alter her course. That you will entrust to me the progression of her career and what she becomes to this village."

Hiruzen had them, now. Allies they may have been, loyal they surely were, but in this subject at least, they had never seen things his way. By denying him his promise, they would all but admit to him that they intended to interfere with Naruka in some way. But to make the promise under the effects of the seal, they would have to _mean_ it, which meant breaking it would be an act of changed morals or intentions, something that he, as Hokage, could put under investigation. It wasn't Homura and Koharu that he was particularly worried about- especially after they gave their promise, grumpy but without protest. It was Danzo and his 'secret' ROOT organization. Sarutobi knew they had been watching Naruka for quite some time now, and while Sarutobi grudgingly accepted their existence as a benefit to the village- no matter how much he disagreed with Danzo's methods- trying to turn Naruka into a mindless tool- a weapon for the village- was not something he was going to allow. His plans to alter and reintegrate ROOT into the established system would take time, but he could at least keep Naruka from Danzo's clutches in the meanwhile.

Danzo, however, surprised him at how quickly he acquiesced, "I accept your request. I have felt, several times, the effect of the seal on me now that I am aware of it. What the jinchuuriki says is true, and so I promise. I promise to leave Uzumaki Naruka alone, to respect both the letter and the spirit of your demands. I would, however, request a caveat."

Hiruzen sighed internally, of course it wouldn't be that simple. "I would hear your request," he said formally.

Danzo nodded, acknowledging that his thoughts would be considered, at the least. "I would like to be able to provide input on the progression of her career, as you put it. I believe that leaving the fate of such a valuable and loyal asset to one person is foolish, no matter who that person is."

Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. Hearing this, and knowing it to be true, was a bit shocking, if he was honest. Never would he have thought that Shimura Danzo actually believed that. "Well, Danzo, in light of the facts, I see no reason not to permit you this request. Know, however, that if I find that you try to undermine any decisions I make, anyway, you will be dealt with accordingly."

Danzo seemed to smirk a little. "I am fully aware of this, Hokage-sama."

"So long as that is the case, then I suppose- in the interest of keeping my word- I should run my revised list for the new Genin team arrangements by you..."

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

When Naruka showed up to the Academy the next day for team assignments, Iruka had already been expecting a bit of an uproar in the classroom. Most of the class thought the girl was, in a word, weird. In several: annoying, clingy, simple, untalented, and more than a little bit desperate. The fact that she consistently failed at refined chakra exercises like the **Bunshin** or the leaf sticking exercise, or that she somehow just couldn't ever get a decent grade on the written tests essentially had listed her as a write-off in their minds.

"What do you mean, you 'took a makeup exam'?!" yelled the long pink-haired Haruno Sakura, fists on her hips and glaring at a demure-postured Naruka.

"Well... really, I did a service to the village, and so they let me pass. The makeup exam was a lie that I _really_ shouldn't have fallen for..." said Naruka, rubbing her arm in embarrassment.

Sakura gaped at her for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "What are you even _talking about?_ "

"What's with the outfit Naruka? Finally trying to catch a certain boy's attention?"

Ah, yes, that was the other thing Iruka hadn't been expecting. Naruka had come in wearing what looked like short shorts, a tube top, a hooded vest and stockings, with white bandages here and there to help cover up a bit more. A far cry from her old fully-covering jacket-and-pants jumpsuit combo, that was certain. He had been briefed vaguely on what, exactly, Naruka had done a couple of days ago, so he somewhat understood her change in attire.

Naruka frowned at Yamanaka Ino's comment about her clothes. "No! I just- I get hot easily, okay? And I had to grow out of that jumpsuit _sometime_ , why not when I finally become a ninja?"

"And the sword? Do you even know how to use that thing?" Inuzuka Kiba asked, scratching the ears of his ninken Akamaru.

Naruka's cheeks puffed up in a pout. "I'm learning! I'm supposed to get used to its weight, and how to move around without it flying around everywhere!" she supplied, adjusting the beautiful fur-covered ninja-to on her back, the standard location for the shorter ninja swords.

Iruka felt it was finally time to intervene. "Alright, that's enough. The Hokage decided that Naruka was capable enough to pass, so unless you're prepared to question his wisdom, keep your mouth shut." Not the entire truth, but close enough to it, and enough of a threat that nobody spoke up afterward. Iruka took a breath and let it out again, looking back to the lineup for the next prospective Genin teams. If he were to be impartial, the old roster was fine; an even distribution of skills and several very promising teams largely based on past successes. The new one, however, suited his sensibilities much better, and not just because the first list didn't include Naruka's name. For one thing, it actually seemed to take personalities into consideration- or perhaps that was just a coincidence, but the fact remained that, in his biased opinion, these teams were much better suited to each other.

"Now that I have your attention, I'd like to congratulate you all once again on making it this far and proving your worth as shinobi and kunoichi of Konoha! Having watched each and every one of you grow from the ground up into the Genin you are today, I have to let you know just how proud I am to see you graduate. Without further ado, it is my great pleasure to announce the team assignments for this graduating class.

"Starting with the lowest available numeral, Team 4 will consist of Odonuma Daichi, Ichi Kazuma, and Furyu Mayuri." Letting the two identically dressed, red-headed boys high-five each other while the brunette pigtailed girl just looked bored, he continued, "You will be joined by your Jonin-sensei, Umaya Reiko.

"Team 6 is Kazama Jin, Yanagi Haruka, and Hyuuga Hikari, instructed by Akimichi Yohiro." A team of bruisers if ever there was one. Jin was really the standout of that team- among this class, his taijutsu had no equal, even against the two Hyuuga and the class prodigy. Speaking of which...

"Team 7, lead by Hatake Kakashi, will be Uzumaki Naruka, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke." He winced as most of the female class groaned and yelled in disappointment. Sasuke was the most popular boy amongst the girls of the class, most of them harboring a rather strong crush for the stoic Last Uchiha. Hinata, a quiet girl who always wore a very concealing coat-and-pants combo, and Naruka were actually among the few that didn't worship the ground he walked on, which is why he thought it was a pretty good matchup. Putting almost any of the other girls with Sasuke would likely be detrimental to their training- and therefore their careers and lives- as they would spend too much time distracted by him in some capacity or another. But Naruka and Hinata would be able to simply treat him as just another shinobi, which Iruka hoped would help Sasuke lose some of the arrogance he had been developing lately.

Once his former class settled down somewhat, he continued. "Team 8 features Aburame Shin, Nara Shikayami, and Inuzuka Kiba, lead by Jonin Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Eh? I get stuck with two girls, and they're not even cute ones? Laaame," called Kiba, drawing glares from around the room.

Iruka frowned. "I'll not hear any complaints, Kiba. These teams were carefully chosen to highlight team strength and cohesion, and to cover individual weakness. Unless you think you know better than the village strategists, keep your mouth shut." Reprimanding him for his sexist attitude was futile, Iruka knew. That'd have to be up to his new team- not to mention his mother.

Speaking of his team, Shikayami frowned, but generally didn't respond beyond yawning, as was typical of her. Shin however, a slightly taller girl who always wore a high-collared heavy sea-green coat, grey Miko-style pants and sunglasses, turned her head to stare at Kiba, and never stopped, thoroughly unsettling him.

Iruka cleared his throat to regain the new Genin's attention (aside from Shin, of course). "Team 10 will contain Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, and Haruno Sakura, lead by Sarutobi Asuma." He ignored the glares the two kunoichi shot each other from across the room, hoping that putting them on the same team might alter their rivalry and drive each other to compete for themselves, rather than the Uchiha.

"Rounding out this graduating class we have Team 14, with Namora Yuki, Takawaru Sasaru, and Omiyari Fuu. You'll be assigned to Jonin Danikori Ienzo."

As Iruka congratulated them again, he felt a degree of guilt, knowing that, statistically, only two of the six new teams would pass their final exam and actually start going on missions. Still, he kept the smile on his face, telling them all to wait there for their Jonin sensei before leaving the room. He had applicants for his next class to review.

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

"Well then, now that we've all assembled, how about you start us off, Reiko-san?"

A short-haired, short-statured blonde woman in a fairly standard uniform stepped forward, folding her hands behind her back. "Team 4, Furyu Mayuri, Odonuma Daichi, Ichi Kazuma. Pass." Report given, the stern woman stepped back into line, and Hiruzen noted down their results.

"Hmm, very well. Yohiro-san?"

As typical of Akimichi, Yohiro was a very large man. Atypical, however, were the almost bulging series of muscles all over his otherwise round body. "Team 6, Yanagi Haruka, Hyuuga Hikari, Kazama Jin, Pass, reccomend heavy strike force."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Haruka-chan was able to keep up?"

Yohiro nodded, his bushy brown beard bouncing. "She's fast. Also, her chakra control is outstanding, could be a good field medic."

The Hokage nodded slowly, contemplating this. "Thank you. I'll take it under advisement. Kakashi-kun, please give us your report."

Nobody expected the silver-haired man to actually take a Genin squad- he'd failed every one of the previous groups the village had thrown at him. But what the rest of the Jonin didn't know was that Hiruzen had replaced many of the people responsible for arranging potential squads out of the graduates, bringing in a lot of fresh blood to the Cryptanalysis Division as well. Not to mention, Kakashi's team had been hand-picked by Hiruzen, himself.

The man in question stepped forward, looking for all the world like he was about to lazily announce another failure. "Team 7, Uzumaki Naruka, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata. Pass." A few exclamations of shock interrupted him before he added, "Recommend tactical extermination squad." Kakashi didn't even wait for Sarutobi's response before stepping back into line, nose digging into a little orange book.

"Geez, if Kakashi passed 'em, they gotta be somethin' else," said Yohiro, scratching at his beard.

"Would this recommendation have anything to do with what happened to Mizuki-san?" asked Kurenai, her red eyes wide and pointed at Kakashi.

Surprisingly, he actually answered. "On the contrary, it was Hinata's performance during my test that really gave me the idea. The fact that they are all already showing signs of being suited for it only reinforces my opinion."

Hiruzen hummed in the ensuing shocked silence. "Well then, thank you, Kakashi-kun. Congratulations on finally finding a group of Genin that meet your standards," he said, his voice laced with mirth.

"Now, I daresay we may be in for a record high in passing Genin teams in one year outside of wartime. Kurenai-san?"

Gently startled, the dark-haired, red-eyed woman stepped forward and said, "Team 8, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shin, Nara Shikayama all pass. Uhm..." she trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and pressed gently, "Yes, Kurenai-san? You have a recommendation?"

She nodded, but her face was pinched. "Given their performance during my test, I feel it is my duty to bring to your attention that they- both individually and as a team- have a... high potential aptitude for assassination."

Hiruzen was again surprised, but hopeful. "Perhaps we should dust off the old Silent Killer courses? However, something appears to be bothering you about this, Kurenai-san. Do you have something against SK units?"

She shook her head. "No, Hokage-sama. It's just that... I fear I would not be an appropriate sensei for them were they to follow that route. I have no advanced training in the subject- only my experience fighting them allowed me to notice the similarities."

The Hokage looked back down and kept writing in his notes. "Well then, as their sensei, you'll just have to go through the training with them. I'm sure your mastery of genjutsu will provide a unique perspective."

Kurenai spluttered, but recovered quickly. Nodding absently, she stepped back into line and looked down, deep in thought.

"Asuma-kun, what about the team assigned to you?"

The man chuckled and drew on his cigarette. "I'll be continuing the streak here, pop. Team 10, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, Haruno Sakura, pass."

Hiruzen raised his brow, pleasantly surprised. "Well, now! This is quite exciting, I had no idea the changes I made to the roster this year would bring such positive results! Ienzo-san, do you have more good news for us?"

The scarf-wearing swordsman shook his head. "Sorry, Hokage-sama, but those girls are really not ready. Sasaru had some promise, but his teammates dragged him down. Instead of a recommendation for the team, I'd like to recommend that the Academy be more thorough in areas like actual combat awareness, and team reliance. I don't know what everyone else used, but I gave them the Yatsuhashi Capture Test, and they failed miserably."

The Sandaime frowned, but nodded. "A shame, but I suppose hoping for a perfect turnout would have been unrealistic. Very well then, Teams 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10, I expect you all to begin team missions within the week. Dismissed."

With varied tones but united timing, the assembled Jonin sensei called out, "Hai!" and left.

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

"Haaa-RAAH!"

A mild iai and a blast of power was all it really took to clear away the weeds from the yet-unused corner of the garden. It wasn't even fire, just the right application of heat to flash-cook the invasive little plants down to their roots. Another blast, this one with a bit of flame to it, and they were only slightly more than fertile ash, the soil needing only to be turned over before seeding.

Naruka's 'break' over, she returned to her teammates in the rest of the client's garden, sinking to her knees and helping them sift through the plants the client wanted to keep and pull out the weeds.

"So how long do you guys think it'll be until we start doing real missions like clearing bandit camps, or assassinating nobles?"

"Hn," was the noise Sasuke made, as was usual. Naruka was never quite sure whether he ever meant for it to be an intelligible response. Usually it was non-committal, but sometimes it seemed like he was actually trying to get a point across, which confused her.

Still, Sasuke was okay in her book. Quiet, aloof, a little broody, but generally easy to get along with. In the month-and-a-half since they had passed their sensei's exam, she had found out that he loved tomatoes- ate them like apples, apparently- disliked fish, and was left-handed. He rarely argued or disagreed with anyone- usually only when a mission was at stake and his opinion was strong- but he had a habit of simply ignoring people instead, especially her.

Which was entirely the opposite case for their other teammate.

"A-ano, we p-probably... I-I uh..." Hinata had tried to respond to her question, but kept trailing off and eventually just gave up, red in the face.

Hinata, it seemed, had a strong desire to speak whenever possible and appropriate. She always started talking, a look briefly recognizable on her face like she had something to say, and Naruka was always eager to hear what the young bluenette wanted to share. Unfortunately, Hinata was also painfully shy, and Naruka suspected she might have a speech impediment, or social disability that prevented her from doing what she wanted. Knowing most people found her to be a bit... invasive, or clingy, Naruka had been resisting the urge to give the poor girl a hug, or press her to say what was on her mind. The one time she did, Hinata looked to be on the verge of tears, even as she explained her plan for passing their Genin exam.

It was fine though, because, while neither of her teammates were very good at keeping a conversation, _she_ was. And they were very good listeners.

"Yeah, it probably won't be for a couple more weeks. Kakashi-sensei said we need to be able to work as a unit without communicating before we'd ever be able to handle an enemy ninja, so that's probably what he's waiting for," she said as the three of them pulled weeds up by their roots.

"Hn."

"E-eto, that... B-b-b-b-..."

Naruka laughed. "I guess we pretty much already do that, huh? I mean, Sasuke hardly says a word when he _is_ expected to, and Hinata-san, well..."

Hinata looked down, face red and clearly disappointed in herself.

Naruka cringed a little and said, "Hey, it's okay! Don't worry about it- I talk enough for the three of us, anyway!"

"Hmph." Naruka whipped her head to look at Sasuke when he made an almost amused sound. There was even the glimmer of a smirk on his face for a moment!

' _Hell yeah! Progress, dattebai!'_

"Yo!"

The three Genin looked up from their task at the arrival of their sensei. The man waved at them, even buried in his book as he was.

Naruka smiled. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei! We're almost done here, see?"

Not even looking up, the silver-haired man nodded. "Yes I do, that's good. We might just have enough time for another mission after this. Won't that be nice?"

Naruka nodded and made to pull out another weed- more money was always welcome, for her. She paused, however, when one of her teammates spoke up.

"A-ano, c-could... I-I w-w-was think..ing..."

Naruka looked over at Hinata's face, screwed up in an expression that she was learning meant Hinata was trying really hard to voice her thoughts. In a burst of insight- something she was becoming more and more adept at, lately- she realized what Hinata was trying to say, and moved to help her.

"Ah! Hinata-san wants to know if we could double-down on team training, today! Which, actually, I wouldn't mind, either..." she added.

Kakashi looked up from his book- ' _Gasp!'_ \- and glanced at Naruka before looking at Hinata. Naruka joined him and saw a look of surprise on the Hyuuga's face, before she quickly nodded in confirmation. Their sensei hummed for a moment before going back down to his book, turning and walking away. As he left, he said, "Well then, meet at the Tower when you finish here, and we'll head to Training Ground 7 together after."

Kakashi was shortly out of sight, and Naruka turned to grin at Hinata. "Great idea, Hinata-san! More money is always nice, but we've got to remember to take our training seriously!" she said, giving her a thumbs-up.

Hinata blushed heavily, but a small smile crept onto her face as she nodded.

Naruka turned to regard their other teammate, who had simply been continuing his work after acknowledging their sensei's arrival. "Hey, Sasuke! You don't mind, right?"

Sasuke didn't even 'Hn' at them, just shook his head and kept working. Naruka was entirely unsure if this was a good or bad sign, but figured he would protest if he really cared, and just accepted his answer.

 **(~Guardian~)  
(~Guardian~)**

"You're still too slow, Naruka."

She flipped backwards, barely avoiding Sasuke's kunai and shouting back at her sensei, "I'm _trying_ , dattebai!" A burst of fire from her feet kicked up dust and rocks, dispersing a cloud of dirt as she was propelled back at the raven-haired teen. The orange-red coated her hand as she cocked back for a wide straight, Sasuke giving her that infuriating self-satisfied smirk of his.

She was determined to surprise him, this time. The flame around her right arm suddenly exploded as she angled it along her body at the ground, the blast and her momentum kicking her off the ground and sending her into a cartwheel right over the Uchiha's head. She saw his smirk vanish, his eyes widened, and she knew; even if only for a moment, she had gotten him. Her hand still aimed at him as he tried to turn to follow her movement, but he really should have hid his face better. The blast of fire that knocked him to the ground also shot her a bit further through the air, allowing her to correct and land in a crouch, sliding to a stop.

Sasuke's cry of pain as her attack landed was short-lived, probably cut off by the boy himself.

"Sasuke, don't get complacent- her goal is to improve, you should expect exactly that. Naruka, that sort of maneuvering is some good strategy and instincts, but it has it's weaknesses, and at the end of the day it's a poor substitute for raw physical improvement. Sasuke won't fall for that again." Kakashi always seemed to have some bit of advice- if not negative than at least certainly not positive- even when trying to compliment them. Kind of annoying sometimes, but mostly useful.

"Hai, sensei," they both said, getting to their feet and facing off again. And, as usual, Sasuke was able to avoid her fire and repel her attack with his own admittedly superior taijutsu. She may have become _much_ stronger, and capable of faster lateral movement- not to mention the sheer destructive force she was able to put into her hits- but her technique remained mostly unchanged from the Academy. And as such she kept being told that she was predictable, and slow to react, and didn't take advantage of her openings. Which, she was starting to see, was all pretty much true.

She _figured_ that faster reactions would come with time. And actually _seeing_ the openings was, again, just a matter of experience. But being creative, more unpredictable- well, she thought she knew pretty well how to do that. At the very least, she was consistently catching Hinata off-guard, in a way that Sasuke had yet to manage. Which, when she focused on it, was a weird thought, considering her issues against him. Different, she didn't know, _styles_ , she supposed. Some just didn't work as well against some others.

Like Kakashi-sensei's, for example. Nothing any of them tried against him, ever since their 'bell test', seemed to hinder him whatsoever. Naruka had a running theory that Kakashi had a special ability where nothing ever actually works twice against him. The only reason they had gotten the jump on him with Hinata's plan, before, was because he had literally never seen it before, and he had just been in so many battles that they hadn't come up with anything new since then.

Of course, that just meant she was still not as unpredictable as she thought she was, which was entirely not the point she was trying to make in her head, here. Actually, what _was_ the point again? She'd gotten herself distracted enough that she didn't even quite remember what she was supposed to be thinking about.

"Gah!" Naruka threw her arms up to block a heavy flying kick by Sasuke, her feet sliding along the ground before she could regain her balance. Right. Sparring. Probably a good place to start.

Naruka drew her flames in tight, igniting them along her arms and back, the orange power licking along her shoulders and dripping from her wild hair. It still confused her, whenever she had a moment to consider it, how her **Flame** was, at once, both fire and some kind of molten liquid. And sometimes short-lived, reddish sparks.

She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Sasuke's axe kick. Right. Fighting. Fucking dammit, she was so distracted today. She lashed out with a low sweep that Sasuke hopped over. She tried to take advantage of this with a backhand fist, and sort of succeeded? Sasuke blocked with his arms, but was knocked away from her anyway. Scrambling to her feet, she charged him, hoping to take him off-guard. An uppercut left her open, though, as his fist caught her in the ribs. Benefits of the **Flame** though, she just tanked the hit and interrupted his follow-up with a right cross to his face.

Since learning that she had permanently disfigured Mizuki with one solid hit, she had very dutifully learned to dial back the heat of her fire while maintaining a portion of the power it added. Sasuke was sent tumbling back, clutching his swollen cheek, but otherwise was unharmed.

They continued in this vein for some time, trading blows every now and then, Kakashi shooting them tips and criticism from the sidelines. The sun had already set, Naruka's fire the only thing keeping their training grounds lit. Hinata had fallen unconscious some time ago, and lay resting against a tree at the edge of the clearing. Eventually Kakashi called a stop to it- Sasuke was too technically skilled to be caught by a majority of Naruka's offence, and she was just a damage sponge even _before_ obtaining the **Awakened Flame** , good luck trying to really hurt her _now_.

A few more choice words of advice for the two Genin and Kakashi left them in a puff of smoke. Naruka turned to wish Sasuke a goodnight, but he was already walking away, hands in his pockets. Pouting, she turned to the still-sleeping Hinata. She sighed, but there was no heat to it, a smile coming to her face. ' _Hinata-chan works so hard... It's a wonder she hasn't hurt herself, yet.'_ Hoisting the shorter girl up into a piggyback carry, she started walking back into the village proper.

As she usually did when this happened, she started relaying her spar with Sasuke to Hinata, blissfully ignoring the fact that she was asleep. "...I'm telling ya', Hinata-chan, I think I can get him! Lately, all of our spars have been ending in draws- or just never ending until sensei calls it- but remember when our team first formed? He _always_ won! Which means I must be getting better- I mean it's not like Sasuke's getting _worse_ , right? Sensei says we've all been improving by leaps and bounds from the 'lucky little brats he picked up at the Academy', heehee. In fact," she said, thoughtful. "If Sasuke's been getting stronger, and I've still been catching up to him... Yatta!" She squealed quietly, "I'm gonna surpass Sasuke someday, dattebai!" She grinned into the shadow-shrouded streets. "I still think _you've_ been advancing the fastest, Hinata-chan! It used to be that you could only go a few hours with team training against sensei, and today you did the entire morning training, a mission, _and_ managed to last through sparring Sasuke and me! You've got crazy potential, Hinata-chan! Heck, until pretty much the end there, you were kicking my ass!"

"Na..ru... Ass..." The bluenette mumbled in her sleep.

"BAHahahaha! That sounds so adorable coming from you, Hinata-chan!" Naruka continued to laugh most of the way to the Hyuuga compound, giggling interspersed by mutterings of 'ass' and 'so cute'.

The Branch family guards at the gate greeted her kindly and took Hinata from her, well-used to this sight by now. Her duty done, she headed home, eager to wash the grime from her perpetually sweaty body and go to sleep. It was as she was walking, bare, from the bathroom- simply upping her body heat slightly did away with the need for towels, which saved her money on water and detergent for the laundry- that she saw her sword, sheathed and propped up against her nightstand. Kakashi had told her to not to carry it to normal training sessions and missions- they were only doing D-ranked missions, not like she'd need it- as it was just a little too deadly to be used in spars with her teammates. It made her a little sad, to be honest. It was such a beautiful sword, both sheathed and drawn, that she wished she could just parade it around all the time. Thankfully, three times a week, Kakashi spent his evenings training her personally in how to wield it- while he _said_ his kenjutsu speciality had been in smaller blades, he was still pretty proficient with all kinds of weapons. Those three days a week were what he called 'personal days' since they didn't actually have any days off. Sasuke and Hinata were free to do whatever they wanted in the afternoon, as they'd skip morning training and just do a mission. Naruka, technically, was also free to do as she wished those days. Indeed, once or twice, she had skived off and taken the time to relax, and Kakashi hadn't said a word about it the next day. She presumed that he waited at their training grounds for a few minutes after their agreed-upon meeting time before going off and doing his own thing when she didn't show up.

Stroking the impossibly soft fur around the sheath once or twice, she gave it a little smile. Kurama, currently asleep, had been warming up to her a lot lately, too. Sometimes he'd run commentary in her head about whatever was going on around her, entertaining her to no end, and they had spent more than a few nights staying up and talking about nothing. She really felt like he had become a real friend to her, though he'd still sputter and deny it if she brought it up.

A yawn interrupted her thoughts and she slid into bed, not bothering to put on any sleeping clothes. Since she never used the covers anymore, she just lay there, naked and sprawled out in the most comfortable position she could get as sleep took her. Her last thoughts were how she hoped tomorrow could go as well as today had.

If only she knew.

 **(~HJN~)**

 **BOOM! Chapter. Not much to say, here. Just happy to be getting ideas down. The more story that gets written, the clearer my head gets, and the more story that gets thought of, which means more story to write, and oh god it's a never ending circle, isn't it?**

 **Sasuke is kind of interesting here, isn't he? Not the asshole he was in canon, still the same smooth and silent type, but somehow kind of likeable? As is usual with my really interesting characters, I'm not sure why he got written that way, but I'm interested to see where it goes. Hope you are, too!**

 **Next time, Naruka gets her first kiss (to which she responds, "Okay, but why though?!"), we see some of the fruits of the Shimura-Sarutobi Alliance, and Hinata says a complete sentence (kind of)!**

 **Silliness aside, expect** _ **Naruto: Spectral Power**_ **up next, hopefully followed by either** _ **Death Dancer Ino**_ **or** _ **Shifted Dreams**_ **.**

 **Oh and don't worry. Those OCs won't become main characters or anything. Some of those teams might get an arc to characterize them a bit, but it's mostly just to make the numbers make a little sense. I mean, nine graduates from an academy that is supposedly the ONLY source of new recruits for the village's combined military/espionage/courier/task force? I don't think so, Kishimoto.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Ja ne~**


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